All American Boys follows two highschool boys as they go through what has sadly become common in modern times. Rashad, a young African American boy, is a victim of police brutality after a misunderstanding in a convenience store. His attack is witnessed by another boy at his school, Quinn, who is a white “All American” student and athlete. Quinn and Rashad are forced to witness how race, gender, and stereotypes divide everyone, even high schoolers and close friends. The rest of the story follows Rashad as he tries to understand his reality, and Quinn, who must decide what he believes is right.
All American Boys does a great job of showing some of the greatest flaws of society. It shows how not everyone is who they seem. The main idea of the book is how police brutality and public racism deeply affect everyone, and how it is not right. Since police brutality and stories of violence by the police are so common now, I think that this book would be a great option for people who don’t fully understand the injustice of all of this. All American Boys is strongly written and a thrill to read. As a reader, I always wanted to know what was going to happen next, and how both of the boys’ stories would overlap. The realistic feel of the book is astounding, with many examples of the very recent past. It feels like this story could be on the news right now, and no one would be able to tell that it was not a real event. I really enjoyed reading the book, and I am sure many others would too.
TPSreads 